Bare minimum dog ownership

[Luggagerackistopheavy]

I am a dog owner and a dog lover but as the tourists decend on my town at this time of year the appalling dog owners arrive.

Aibu to think this is bare minimum for dog ownership?

1. If your dog doesn't have bomb proof recall keep it on a lead or a long line.
2. Keep your dog on a lead next to roads. It's just idiotic not to even if you feel your dog is bomb proof.
3. Do not allow your little Fluffy to approach an on lead dog without asking. Your dog might be friendly but can you guarantee that the other dog is?
4. If your dog is off lead keep it in your sight at all times.
5. Do not allow little Fluffy to jump up at people. If you can't stop them, get them on a lead.
6. If your dog is playing with others for goodness sake supervise them and put a stop to it instantly if any dog appears uncomfortable or over excitable.
7. Your dog is not well trained just because they can give a paw, do a twirl, roll over etc. Good training is about recall, focus on their owner, behaviour while meeting others and behaviour while playing, stopping when told, not jumping up, not excessive barking etc.

Aibu to think this is bare minimum dog ownership?

I'd much prefer that all dogs were on leads at all times when I'm public to be honest. There are designated dog parks to take them off lead.

All your points should be normal dog owner advice, owners where I live are pretty good, other than when they see my dog on a lead, a few are slow to put a lead on. We find when on holiday, most dogs we meet are off lead, even in fields with livestock.

Wonder who has said you're unreasonable? Fluffys "mummy"?

100%! If you want a dog get a garden big enough to exercise it off lead.

YABU simply because most owners who say their dogs are friendly - or think their dogs are friendly - actually have no idea about doggy body language.

90% of the time, if someone yells at me their dogs friendly…it’s clearly not.

And no dog should be approaching another dog, on lead or not, without the owners checking it is okay. I’m sick of other dog owners letting their dogs approaching mine (always off lead) just because they’re off lead.

Not in many places in my experience

I’m afraid I would assume an off lead dog was ok with other dogs being around. Mine wouldn’t run up to a dog and bounce on them but they may approach and “greet” them. Could be lucky with where we walk.

The other day I saw a group of people in my town who looked like they were on alcohol/ drugs . They had two big dogs not particular scary looking, but big - and one of them dropped the lead as he was crossing the road.

It probably fell out his hands but he didn’t pick it back up. I saw what was going on and immediately crossed over to the side of the road where they had came from to put distance between us. The dog just plodded on ahead of them with the leash trailing.

It was all very strange. but yeah I do wish all dogs would be kept on leads. I avoid my local parks because I know many are not. I’ve had maybe 3 picnics in the park over the last few years. Two of them were interrupted by off leash dogs.

I live on the top floor of a flat building - there are about 10 apartments on my floor. Around 3 of them have dogs. It is bonkers.

ETA: needless to say they don’t have a garden! There is a small shared garden downstairs but it’s mostly paved with plants.

Of course @Luggagerackistopheavy those are the bare minimum requirements, but unfortunately, a lot of people just don’t follow them or care. My dogs do all of those things and I wouldn’t let them off lead if they didn’t. And yes, as it happens @Computersaysdontwantto i do have my own space to exercise them. But they love new walks and new places. And since they either 100% recall to me or I keep them on a lead, why shouldn’t I take them? They never approach a person or dog in public and I always clean up after them. I can’t see the problem with that.

But how can you always see other users? Does the dog go back on a lead every time you go around a bend on the path, or enter some woodland? This would be great if true but I’ve never seen it.

Yanbu Op. I get really irritated with a lot of dog walkers around here, mix of holidaymakers and locals.

We live in an area with lots of unfenced cliffs and the I can’t even count the number of times I’ve seen people walking dogs off lead on the cliff edges. Dogs go over them all the time and either die or have to get rescued by the coastguards. Or the dogs are just running off doing whatever, wherever they like, pooping unnoticed while the owners ignore them. Winds me right up!

There aren't though.

There are private hire secure fields, they're not accessible to everyone though.

Where there are dog parks, that are free to access, they are a big trigger for fights and often dominated by shitty owners with badly behaved dogs so no one else can use them (see: Large swathes of urban USA.)

It's also worth remembering that dog walkers are the people who are using our parks, beaches, woodland paths etc throughout the winter months - the good ones are the ones clearing up broken glass left by humans, mess left by humans, reporting the burnt out cars and finding the dead bodies... (it's allllllways a dog walker that finds the dead body!).

Sadly, as ever, the shitty irresponsible folks ruin it for the rest of us and that is true whether its dog owners, parents, whatever sphere of life you look at, that applies.

Yanbu. What you have said is just basic common sense, which some people lack.

Dog parks are not a UK thing, and I’m glad they aren’t. They can lead to problem behaviours.

Most dogs need a good run off lead. Shit owners spoil it for good owners, the problem is shit owners, not responsible owners who have control of their dogs.

Dogs on lead at all times = yes, reduced chance of bad dog behaviour but also antisocial behaviour like barking due to boredom.

We walk them very rurally and they are trained to return straight to me if they see anyone else, dog or person. They actively avoid and ignore other people or dogs unless I “release” them to play. So if we came around a bend and saw you? They’d come back to me and stay with me on “hold”. They are also very good at ignoring other people’s badly behaved dogs who jump all over them.

YABU. Around my way, most dogs are off lead in public parks and enjoy playing and chasing and sniffing each other while the owners chat or stroll. No one has ever complained except owners of aggressive dogs on leads.

My dog is not "fluffy" but is totally chill. I am bemused by owners of problem dogs who have to keep them on a lead who get upset when my non aggressive dog approaches their aggressive dog. It is not my dog that is the problem, its yours! Stay home if you can't control your dog, or put a muzzle on it.

The only time my dog is a nuisance is during the summer when people are having picnics. He loses all recall when there is a possibility of a mini sausage around. Many picknickers like to feed my dog these treats, which only makes his recall worse, so I do just keep him on a lead if there are picnics around.

@BennyBee I completely feel your pain: but like you say, you just keep your dog on a lead in the danger zones, right?

It's not your dog that's the problem here, it's you. Never let your dog approach a dog on a lead. You have no idea what that dog has been through, whether it's reactive or not or why.

Agree. When they yell "they're friendly!!" I always wonder why are they telling me that?

The reason they're yelling that to me that is because the alternative (recalling their dog) won't work.

I disagree. Dogs are social animals and just as we say hi as we pass other people so do dogs. If the dog is not sociable it's for their owner to make that clear or to walk it at quiet times.

The word “friendly” tends to mean will bounce all over your dog in a rude fashion. Have no manners at all and the owner won’t do a thing as he’s only “playing”.

Agree to all your points. I have two dogs: one has crap recall which I'm working on(any tips greatly appreciated!), so he is on a lead at all times

Where do you live?

I can only think of once in the UK that I’ve seen a ‘designated dog park’.

My old dog was very reactive (abuse case rescue) so was never off lead. My dogs now love to run and swim. We are semi rural and they are always off unless we’re near a road or livestock